


Green Falls

by hollys_tree



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Birds, Camping, Draco is a Sneaky Bastard, Environmentalism, Harry Potter Next Generation, Kissing, M/M, Meeting again after X Years, Nature, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-27
Updated: 2012-08-27
Packaged: 2017-11-13 01:01:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/497648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollys_tree/pseuds/hollys_tree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It sounds like the easiest assignment ever: Teddy has to file a report about a nature reserve in Wales. But when James Potter becomes his partner for the week, it creates a whole new set of problems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Green Falls

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the final round of [](http://teddy_fest.livejournal.com/profile)[**teddy_fest**](http://teddy_fest.livejournal.com/) on Livejournal. Many Thanks to [nerakrose](http://archiveofourown.org/users/nerakrose) and [](http://9fn432.livejournal.com/profile)[**9fn432**](http://9fn432.livejournal.com/) for the beta.

The fly buzzed against the window. Teddy watched how it bumped against the glass again and again until it came down to rest on the windowsill, gathering new strength for the next attempt at escaping the sticky room that was way too warm. Of course, it was a feeble attempt, since they were several hundred feet underground and the window was just charmed to look like the outside sky. But the fly would never know that.

Teddy turned his attention back to the end of the room where Andersson still wasn't finished with the report of his last mission. The small man with square glasses and thin blond hair tended to be overly accurate in his case records. His partner Thompson –better known as 'Pretty Pete' with his brown locks and white smile– appeared to be doodling in his notebook. The two of them couldn't have been more different, yet they were the best team the Auror division had to offer at the moment.

Teddy felt his own partner, Melinda, shift beside him as she looked at her watch. She threw a glance at him and rolled her eyes. Teddy looked away to hide his smile.

Finally Andersson closed the file in front of him and Harry nodded. He had shrugged out of his red Auror robes and rolled up his sleeves, the hair on his neck was damp with sweat. "Thank you. Excellent work, everyone." He gathered a few of the papers on the desk in front of him and stood up. "There are a couple of new cases for next week. Thompson, Andersson, I want you in my office Monday morning at eight to discuss the details. And Ward? You're going to be working on this one too, so please be there as well."

At that Teddy sat up in his chair and looked from Melinda to Harry and back again.

Melinda seemed to be just as surprised as himself. "Of course, Sir," she said before adding hesitantly, "is there a reason why I'm working with a different team now?"

Harry shook his head. "It has nothing to do with your work, quite the contrary, as you know you make a very good team with Auror Lupin. But Thompson and Andersson will need to go undercover and they need an outside contact. I don't have enough free Aurors to use another team for that." He looked at Teddy. "There's a different case Lupin will take over during this time."

Melinda nodded and leaned back against her chair but when she looked at Teddy, he knew she wasn't any more thrilled about this than he was. They had been partners for almost five years now and Teddy couldn't imagine anyone else at his side. Melinda had extraordinary combat skills and excelled at detecting and disabling curses and traps. Teddy was better with people and often took over handling suspects and witnesses. Melinda often jokingly called him 'human Veritaserum', because Teddy could identify a liar more times than not. Studying people was something that came to him as easy as breathing or changing the colour of his hair. As a Metamorphmagus he had learned very early that it wasn't enough to change his hair and nose to look like someone else. He had to get the image exactly right, down to the very last freckle, _and_ pick up on the person's habits, quirks and body language, if Teddy really wanted to fool someone who knew the person he tried to imitate. This had given him a way of looking at the world that came in very handy as an Auror.

"Ok, that's it for now. I wish you a nice weekend." Harry's voice drifted into Teddy's thoughts and was followed by rustling papers, chairs scraping on the floor and the general relief of having two days off. Teddy stood up as well when Harry called him. "One moment please, Auror Lupin."

Melinda mouthed 'We'll talk later' at Teddy and vanished with the rest of the Auror corps through the door. When it fell shut behind them, Teddy turned around and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything Harry held up both hands conciliatorily. "I know, Teddy, I know. I don't like to split up one of my best teams either, but I'm incredibly short at hands. It will only be temporarily." He gestured to the seat next to him and Teddy walked over to the end of the long table. "Besides," Harry said smiling, "I have this feeling you're going to like your new assignment." He started rummaging in the messy pile of loose papers and case files. "Do you know what a gold-sprinkled Moonpiper is?"

Teddy frowned. The name sounded vaguely familiar. "I think I've heard about in Hogwarts once . . . in Care for Magical Creatures, maybe?"

"Yes, there, or in Potions. Ah, here it is." Harry pulled out a piece of paper from under a large stack that started to wobble dangerously. He handed it over to Teddy.

It was a picture of a river, slowly making its way through a dark forest. The photograph was taken at twilight and the light of the moon reflected in the swirling waters. It was a beautiful and serene picture but beyond that there was nothing special about it. "What–?"

"Wait a moment," Harry said.

And there it was. Something small and fast; a light blue colour in the dark. A moment later a tiny bird broke through the trees and whirled over the river, close to the surface of the water. Its feathers gleamed in rich blue and gold sprinkles when the moonlight fell on it; it almost seemed to sparkle. It only lasted a second or two, then the bird vanished again and the forest was dark and lonely again.

"It's not a very good photograph, but it's the best the rangers could give us. These birds are incredibly shy and fast, it's almost impossible to get a close-up of them," Harry explained.

"And my next assignment has to do with them?"

"Yes. The bird is not yet classified, because until a few years ago there has been very little interest in it. Sometimes the feathers have been used in a few potions but they were always easily replaceable with more common substances."

Teddy raised eyebrow and Harry laughed. "I know I sound like a potions expert, but I had never even heard about this bird before Draco told me about it."

Teddy knew Harry and Mr Malfoy had grudgingly become acquaintances after James had started an apprenticeship at _Malfoy Apothecary_ , but in the following years they'd become genuine friends. Harry probably saw Mr Malfoy more often than Teddy did, even though he was sort of Teddy's cousin.

Harry took the picture in his hands again and looked at the gold-blue flutter which showed up in that moment. "The thing is, the feathers can't be substituted in one particular potion. Moonpiper feathers have muscle relaxing and pain reducing qualities, and a couple of years ago they were discovered as a key ingredient to improve the Wolfsbane potion. As a result, the demand for them has increased drastically. In Britain there is only one area where Moonpipers exist, a nature reserve in–" Harry opened a blue folder and scanned the paper, "–Wales. The locals call it 'Green Falls'. Lately the rangers report more and more incidents of poachers roaming the reserve, killing the birds, stealing eggs, destroying the nests and so on."

Teddy scratched the back of his neck. "And what am I supposed to do there? I mean . . . I see that this is a problem, but if a whole group of rangers can't stop them, I doubt it will make a difference if I go there alone."

"You're not going there to hunt poachers. That is –if you find one you should send him in for questioning of course– but your main task for now, is observation. In the long run, only a set of strong magical wards will be able to protect the area, but these are expensive and a nature reserve is not necessarily very high on the Ministry's priority list." Harry put the Moonpiper photograph back into the blue folder, closed it and handed it over to Teddy. "And without an official report on the current situation, no-one is going to do anything. That's where you come in."

"So basically my new assignment is, to go camping and trekking and talk to a few rangers in between?" Teddy asked and when Harry nodded he took the folder and grinned. "Well, I've had worse jobs. I was in need of a little holiday anyway."

"I told you, you would like it. And there's more. I've got a letter from _Malfoy Apothecary_. They're one of the main purchasers of Moonpiper feathers in Britain –since they had been the one to improve the Wolfsbane– and they take a great interest in securing this source. They're asking for permission to send one of their people to 'accompany the Auror chosen for this mission'," Harry quoted and shook his head. "I will never understand why Draco insists on using the official channels when he could just ask me in person. Anyway, of course I agreed to it and you're getting a partner for this assignment after all. And because Draco never does anything half-heartedly, he's sending his best apprentice."

"You don't mean . . ." Teddy trailed off when he saw Harry's bright smile. "Really?"

"Yes," Harry said, "James. Now that Draco is finally done with sending him to every last corner of the earth, I'll get to see my son again. He'll be back in England tomorrow."

"That's– wow. That is amazing! I thought he was in India at the moment."

"He was, but apparently he's on his way back. I can't believe he didn't send me an owl or one of these strange foreign birds earlier. I only got the message this morning myself." Harry beamed and Teddy couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Harry this happy.

"James and I on holiday. This is going to be pretty awesome," Teddy said smiling and stretched his arms above his head.

"This is still an assignment," Harry reminded him, but he sounded amused. "And please try to not do anything stupid like . . . I don't know. Burning down the forest. You're adults now." He rose from his seat. "Ok, let's call it a day, Teddy. I'm tired and I can see that you are too. And I need to tell the rest of the family about James. Molly will probably plan a huge dinner that needs days of preparation. I hope you have time on Sunday? It's the first time in years we're all together again."

Teddy hadn't seen James in two years. The last time, James had been twenty and had said goodbye to his family, looking equally nervous and excited about his training abroad. He'd hugged everyone and promised to write often, but of course –with James being James– this promise had only lasted a couple of weeks. First, the letters had carried a touch of homesickness between the lines and he was asking questions about his family, friends and how everyone was doing. But then the messages became shorter, less frequent and were filled with new names, places and experiences, until it came down to a few hastily scribbled lines every few months to let his parents know that he was still alive and had not got lost in the mountains of Tibet.

"Believe me, there is no way I'm _not_ going to be there," Teddy answered and together they left the conference room.

***

The scent of Molly's cooking greeted Teddy when he pushed open the unlocked front door to the Burrow. He could see a big trunk in one corner of the dim hallway, covered in bright and colourful stickers. He heard noises from the kitchen and the living room and just decided to go to the latter when he saw Lily coming down the stairs.

"Hey, Lily."

"Oh. Hi, Teddy." Lily smiled, jumped down the last few steps and hugged him briefly. Her red hair lay around her head in two complicated looking braids and she wore a very pretty green dress. "James is here," she said.

Teddy laughed. "I know. That's why we're all here, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. They're all going completely crazy." Lily rolled her eyes. "Grandma has cooked enough food to feed a whole army and mum won't stop fussing about James. No-one has seen Hugo or Al for hours, but I overheard dad saying that a few bottles of wine are also missing, so I guess we all know where they are. And I actually had other plans for today; I wanted to have a look at a room because one of my friend's sisters is looking for a flatmate and it's near St Mungo's and it sounded _perfect_ , but mum wouldn't let me go."

"You can still go tomorrow." Teddy laid an arm around her shoulders. "Who wouldn't want to share a flat with you?"

Lily didn't look convinced. "I just hope she won't give it to someone else in the meantime. I've been looking for a place for ages." Loud laughter rang through the hallway. "You can find James in the kitchen," Lily said. "I'm supposed to help Fleur with the tables and chairs in the garden. See you later." She waved and vanished through the front door.

Teddy made his way over to the kitchen, suddenly oddly nervous. He opened the door and paused. Molly stood in front of the stove, stirring in one of the three huge cauldrons; Rose and her father sat at the table cutting vegetables and Ginny leaned against the kitchen cupboard, right next to James. They all appeared to be listening to James telling a story, which involved a lot of gesturing and waving arms. Teddy felt something warm settle in his stomach at the familiar sight. James had knocked over more than one glass of milk at the dinner table, back when they were kids and James recreated the games of the afternoon with swirling arms.

Teddy knocked at the door frame.

James interrupted his story, turned towards him and when his eyes fell on Teddy, his whole face lit up. "Teddy!" He pushed off the cupboard and made his way around the big table. Teddy made a few steps into the kitchen as well and then his arms were full of James.

Teddy pressed James to his chest for a few seconds before he pushed him away just enough to look at him. James had still grown an inch or two and was nearly as tall as Teddy now. He wore his dark brown hair a bit longer than he used to and it was streaked with a few lighter strands that had bleached from the sun; it nearly fell into James' brown eyes and looked almost as unruly as Harry's mop of hair. There was a sprinkle of freckles on his nose and he was smiling so wildly that Teddy could see the tiny missing corner of James' left eye tooth, where he had flown his father's broom into a tree on his twelfth birthday.

Teddy ruffled James' hair the same way he had done a million times before and couldn't help but grin back at James stupidly. "Jamie."

James laughed and Teddy realised how much he had missed this sound. James touched Teddy's hair in return. "You still wear it blue."

"Mostly. But I turn it black at work."

"Did dad talk to you? We'll be working together next week. I thought I would finally sleep in a real bed on a regular basis from now on, but Mr Malfoy sends me into the wilderness again." James let go of Teddy's biceps and Teddy realised they had been half hugging for quite a while. "But it will be great. You and me . . . just like old times."

"Just like old times," Teddy agreed.

At this point Molly announced that dinner was ready and there was great shuffling and noise and jostling while everyone made their way into the garden. Teddy was nearly hit by one of the flying cauldrons and had to jump back to avoid a splash of hot potato soup. Rose wasn't so lucky and slipped in the puddle on the floor, smashing the pot of salt herrings she was carrying. Teddy helped her up and Ron consoled his mother, saying that they could spare this one dish, since there were twenty three others waiting on the table outside.

The garden was decorated with colourful lampions in the trees and little fairies hummed softly inside them; floating candles threw a warm light over the well-laid table. Even Al and Hugo turned up again with their eyes a little glazed and laughing a bit more loudly than they would have done without drinking two bottles of wine.

Teddy leaned back in his chair and watched his family. He felt the happiness from head to toe or maybe that was Molly's' home made punch. He saw the candlelight reflecting on James' hair and listened to the stories about his work abroad. He was amazed at how easily he and James had gone back to their former familiarity; when James talked he would occasionally throw a secret glance and wink in Teddy's direction and Teddy knew there was more to the story than what could be shared with his parents and grandparents. Teddy couldn't wait to hear it all.

***

The next morning Teddy's wand vibrated at 4am and he nearly fell off the narrow couch in the Burrow's living room. He dressed slowly and made his way over to the kitchen in search of caffeine.

James already sat at the table with his head buried in his hands. A steaming cup of coffee sat in front of him. When he heard Teddy come in he looked up. His eyes looked small and tired, his hair even worse than the previous evening.

"Mornin'," he said; his voice scratchy. "Too much wine yesterday."

Teddy nodded and helped himself to his own cup. "I knew I shouldn't have drunk that last glass."

James snorted and vanished behind his hands again. "More like the last couple of glasses." His voice was muffled.

"Caffeine will help. Is Harry up?"

"In the shower." James lowered his hands and took a sip from his cup. "Mr Malfoy comes around at 5.30 with the Portkey and last minute instructions for me. He's such a control freak."

Teddy smiled. "You're his favourite; he wants you to do well."

"Yeah." James raised his right shoulder in a half shrug, but Teddy could see the little smile; the compliment had pleased him.

They drank their coffees in companionable silence. When Harry came bumbling into the kitchen, Teddy vanished into the bathroom on the ground floor while James took the upper one to take a shower.

At a quarter past five they gathered in the kitchen again. Teddy and James went over their packing lists one last time and Harry brought the tent from the garden shed. "It's not a very good one I'm afraid, but it will do. It hasn't been used for a while either, so there might be a couple of cleaning spells in order."

"I've slept in worse places, dad," James said and let the tent fall into his bottomless rucksack. "I don't mind a few layers of dust."

There was a knock on the door that led to the garden and a second later Mr Malfoy stood inside the doorway. Teddy had never seen him in anything but the dark, spotless robes he also wore now. His hair line was receding slightly, but instead of looking old, it added to the look of authority.

"Good Morning," Mr Malfoy said, stepping into the room. "I took the back door, so I wouldn't wake the rest of the house." He nodded in Harry's direction. "Potter."

"Draco," Harry answered. "Punctual as always."

A smile tugged at Mr Malfoy's mouth and he turned towards Teddy, offering his hand. "Teddy. I haven't seen you in a while. I hope your grandmother is well?"

Teddy shook the hand. "She's very well, thank you. She loved the salve you made for her shoulder."

"I'm glad to hear that. I will send her another jar then. Or you can come to the Manor for dinner when you're back from Wales."

"We'd love to."

Mr Malfoy walked over to James and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Ready, James?"

"For a free holiday?" James grinned. "Always."

Harry made a noise that sounded a bit like 'two years' and Mr Malfoy frowned at him. To James he said, "You know I could send someone else, right? If you want to stay at home with your family for a while."

"No," James said and threw an annoyed look at his father. "I want to go. It's just a week, it's in Britain and I'm going to travel with Teddy. It _is_ home."

Harry raised both hands. "Fine, fine. Just come back in one piece. Draco, do you have the Portkey?"

Mr Malfoy took an old, small sugar bowl from his pocket and laid it on the table. "It activates in–" he looked at his silver pocket watch "– four minutes." He then drew a piece of parchment from another pocket and showed it to James. "This is a list of herbs that should grow in the reserve, judging from my calculations about the climate in that area. At the moment, the rangers only provide Moonpiper feathers they find during their rounds but if you watch out for these, we might be able to arrange something . . ."

Teddy couldn't hear the rest when James and Mr Malfoy leaned closer to each other to study the list together. He threw a glance at Harry. "He does know that we're going there to lay the groundwork for _protecting_ the reserve, right?"

"Yeah, but he is always fond of killing two birds with one stone."

At Teddy's raised eyebrow Harry hastened to add, "Figuratively speaking." And quieter, "I think."

"Well, I won't let him do anything stupid." Teddy grabbed his rucksack. "Come on, Jamie. Time to go."

James pocketed the sheet from Mr Malfoy and came over. He briefly hugged his father and then laid his index finger right next to Teddy's on the sugar bowl. Teddy could feel James' warmth against his left side. He smelled James' shampoo and the hair at the base of his neck was still a little damp and darker than rest of it. Teddy inhaled–

–and felt the uncomfortable tug behind his navel as he was pulled away, out of the kitchen of the Burrow. His finger was glued to the sugar bowl and he felt himself swirling through the air. James bumped into him a few times. Then the feeling vanished and Teddy felt ground under his feet again. He stumbled a little but was able to stay upright.

James wasn't so lucky and landed face first in the mud. "Urgh," he said and got up; his whole face was streaked with dirt. Teddy laughed and James punched his shoulder. "Shut up," he mumbled and cast a cleaning charm on himself.

Teddy turned around and took in his surroundings. There was the edge of a forest on their left side and meadows on the right. It was still too early to really see something. The sun hadn't risen yet and thick mist hung over the grass. In the distance there were a few shadows that could be hills on the horizon.

"Aren't we supposed to be picked up here?" James asked.

"Yes."

"Maybe they forgot."

From the corner of his eye Teddy could see a shadow moving between the trees. "I don't think so," he said and gestured towards the forest. A woman appeared behind a tree and walked towards Teddy and James. She stopped a few feet away from them.

She wasn't very tall –not much more than five feet– and Teddy and James both towered over her. Her skin seemed to be darker too, but in the dim light Teddy couldn't say if it was her natural skin tone or if she was very tanned. She had short black hair and dark, watchful eyes. Teddy wasn't sure how old she was; there were wrinkles beside her eyes and mouth, yet they looked as if they were caused by sun and wind rather than age. She wore a faded blue t-shirt and brown shorts which showed her muscular legs. The early morning chill didn't seem to bother her in the slightest.

"Hello," she said with a melodic voice that was higher than Teddy had expected. "I am Dawn, ranger of the reserve. Welcome to _Green Falls_."

***

Another twig landed in Teddy's face with a whooshing sound. "Hey!"

"Sorry," came James' voice from ahead, from somewhere behind all that green.

"You keep hitting me with these branches. Just don't let go of them until I'm there, it's not that hard." Teddy pulled a branch away and nearly bumped into James who had waited behind it.

James reached out and steadied Teddy with a hand on his elbow. "Maybe you're just too slow," he teased.

"Then maybe we could just switch places and you show me how to do it better."

"Ahh, no. I don't want to be last," James said. He looked around. "Are we ever going to get out of this thicket? We've been walking for hours and there's no end in sight. I'm covered in scratches."

"The thicket in combination with anti-Apparition wards is the first and currently only protection against poachers. I think they grew it magically."

"Yeah. If I was a poacher I would have turned around already."

Teddy took out a bottle of water from his rucksack and took a sip. Then he handed it to James. "Where's Dawn? Have we lost her?"

"I don't think so," James said and took a gulp of water too. "I saw her every now and then but she's fast. And she doesn't make a sound or leaves a trail."

They started walking again, but this time Teddy kept a little closer to James and James didn't let go of the branches he had pulled out of his way until Teddy had a grip on them too. After a while the forest became less obstructed and they were able to walk next to each other. James told Teddy a story about the time when he was in the Brazilian rainforest searching for a plant that only grew in treetops.

"–it's not like I'm afraid of heights, but up there? I wanted to get down as soon as poss–"

Suddenly Dawn appeared in front of them. "We are almost through the outer ring and we're nearing the river lands. There'll be a lot more plants and animals from now on, so please try to avoid trampling on anything." She turned around and gestured them to follow her. "The Moonpipers prefer to build their nests near water but there might be the occasional bird that breeds on the borders of the thicket."

After another ten minute walk Dawn held up her hand and stopped. She put a finger to her lips and approached a bush, crouched down and lifted a few twigs away. A moment later she came back, cradling something that looked like a ball of dry grass. On closer inspection Teddy recognised it as a nest. Inside was one blue egg with a few golden sprinkles and two dead fledglings. The little birds were a light blue and had still been fluffy, not having developed real feathers before they died.

James leaned over the nest. "How did they die?"

Dawn's mouth was drawn into a hard line. "It looks as if their parents didn't come back to feed them anymore. Which means that the birds were probably killed or caught." She took the egg from the nest and felt it in her hand. "Cold." She put it back in and said, "It _is_ natural that only a part of the offspring will ever fly the nest, but lately we find more nests like this than ever before." She laid the nest down on the ground.

"So it was poachers?"

"Maybe. Or a fox or a kestrel. Moonpipers have a lot of enemies but when wizards start hunting them too, they won't stand a chance."

They resumed their walk; Dawn way ahead, Teddy and James following a bit slower.

"What do you think? Is the Ministry going to offer the funds to make this an official Wizarding Reserve?" James asked.

"I'm not sure. The area seems huge and even if it was warded properly, there would still be a need for a staff of rangers – who need to be paid. Then there's the question of equipment too. I fear that even if I made my report in favour of the reserve, the Ministry won't consider it worth it."

"Hm." James hummed. "Maybe you should deliver the report in person and charm everyone in the committee."

"I don't know . . . I'm not all that good at 'charming'"

"Oh, I think you've got that covered pretty well," James said and then he seemed to realise what he had just said and a light blush formed on his cheeks. "I mean– you always had all the adults wrapped around your little finger when we were kids."

"Really? If I remember correctly, that was you," Teddy answered and when James smiled and threw a glance at him, Teddy felt his stomach do a little lurch. If this had been anyone but James, he would have called it the tentative start of flirting. His stomach seemed to think it was anyway.

***

About noon, they reached the edge of the valley that was the heart of _Green Falls_ , as Dawn had explained to them.

Teddy looked down and the name of the reserve made a lot more sense now; a few hundred feet below he could see a couple of small rivers and streams, meandering at the bottom of the valley through rocks and forest. Every now and then there would be a waterfall; the water shimmering green in the sun before it turned into white spume as it hit the ground again.

"Wow," James said. "I say, the last couple of hours were worth this view."

Dawn looked at James and there was a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "It has this effect on people."

They had a short lunch break before they began their descent. Dawn told them that there were a number of small cabins all over the valley for the rangers who lived here –between five in summer and two in winter– but that they could pitch their tent somewhere near the biggest river, where they would be in a central position to explore their surroundings.

The place Dawn had chosen turned out to be a cobbled plane, tucked into a river bend. The line of the trees was several feet away and there was the distant sound of a waterfall.

Teddy let his rucksack fall and lay down on the stones. He closed his eyes and listened to a bird shrieking high above him in the air. His legs were aching and he had several scratches on his hands and forearms.

James sat down next to him, "I'm not doing another single step today," he declared.

A shadow fell across Teddy's face. He squinted against the sun and saw Dawn's outline against the blue sky. He sat up. Dawn didn't have any cuts nor did she seem exhausted. "You can pitch your tent here and rest for today." She pulled a folded piece of parchment from her pocket, opened it and crouched down to lay it on the cobbles; it was a map of the valley. "We are here," she pointed at a place on the parchment. "You can look around a bit, but as I said before, be careful where you put your feet. I'm going to see one of the other rangers. There are a few things I need to discuss with him and inform him that you're here now." She closed the map again and handed it to Teddy. "Any questions?"

Teddy shook his head. "No, thank you. Are you back tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, I'll be back after breakfast to give you a tour." Dawn stood up. "See you tomorrow." She waved a hand and walked away as soundlessly as she did everything, her small form vanishing through a line of trees.

Teddy grabbed James' rucksack and opened it. "We should pitch that tent now. If I remember correctly, it has a couch."

"Hm." James had his eyes closed, his face raised to the sun. He looked tired; sweaty strands of his dark hair stuck to his forehead. "We should do that," James said and didn't move.

Teddy looked away and cast an _Accio Tent_ into the bag in his lap. There was a deep rumble inside it and a moment later the tent flew into Teddy's hands.

James opened his eyes with a sigh. "Ok, let's get the tent in order. Then we'll go swimming."

Erecting the tent sounded easier in theory than it turned out to be. The tent had been in the Potter household for about two decades and it seemed to have developed a mind of its own in that time. Casting an _Erecto_ had only limited success, so they had to attach the strings to the ground manually, which wasn't all that easy because the tent tried to crawl back into its bag. And Harry had not been joking about the dust on the inside. There were layers over layers of it.

Teddy sneezed. And sneezed again. "Fuck. When did you use this the last time?"

"It must have been years. I think we were in France and Lily was still in her early years at Hogwarts."

Cast several cleaning charms, James slowly made the living room looked inhabitable again. They repeated the process in the tiny kitchen, the bathroom and two of the bedrooms. They didn't bother with the third room because they wouldn't be using it anyway. Teddy put fresh sheets on the beds with a flick of his wand.

James was in the living room, rummaging in his rucksack and casting _Accio_ to summon various things. Most of them lay on the table, couch and floor. Teddy shook his head. Only James would be able to make the tent 'lived in' in under five minutes.

"Ha!" James exclaimed, holding up a towel. "There it is. Come on, Teddy. Let's test the water temperature!" he called before he darted out of the tent.

Teddy grinned, summoned his own towel from his bag and followed James outside.

***

The temperature of the water had turned out to be "freezing", but it hadn't stopped them from swimming for almost an hour, jumping into the river from one of the bigger rocks. When they had finally emerged their lips had been blue and James was shaking like a leaf.

Now they sat in front of their tent in companionable silence, cooking two cans of beans over the fire. The sun had already set and the air was filled with the gentle crackle of the fire and the noises of nocturnal animals, waking from their daily slumber, ready to hunt.

Teddy leaned back in a chair they had taken from the tent, closed his eyes and tried to take it all in. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so happy and content.

He opened his eyes again and caught James looking at him. When their eyes met, James looked away and stirred the beans again.

After a moment, Teddy asked, "Did you like it? Being away from home for so long?"

James didn't answer immediately. He took the cans and poured the contents onto two plates and handed one to Teddy. Then he sat back in his own chair. "Yeah. I liked it. I mean . . . it was hard, especially in the beginning. I was missing you all so much. But it got better. You know, Mr Malfoy didn't send me on this trip to annoy dad. It is– it is so _fascinating_ to learn where the herbs and the feathers and the insects actually come from. It gives me a whole new understanding when I use them in potions. And usually the local people know so much more about them, different ways to use and combine them. It creates completely different possibilities. I think it's something you can't learn when you're doing an apprenticeship here in England."

The fire threw a warm light on James' face as he gestured with his right hand and spoon to get his point across. "One thing though . . . I– I met a lot of different people –great people– and made some awesome friends but I never stayed anywhere longer than a few weeks, two months at the most. And then I would leave, start somewhere else all over again. There were times when I was so lonely and so sick of it that I thought about coming home early."

"But you made it through."

"I made it," James said.

"Did you meet someone special?"

Now James laughed. "I wasn't living like a monk. There was the occasional boy teaching me local customs."

Teddy snorted. "Learned a lot?"

"Enough. I am a fast learner," James said grinning. "But yeah . . . like I said. There was never really enough time to get to know each other. A few times I thought, maybe . . . if I stayed longer . . . but I don't know." He shrugged. "What about you?"

"There have been a few."

"Guys or girls?"

"Both." Teddy said. "But everything more serious has been with men. I'm not very good at the whole relationship thing with women, it seems."

James raised an eyebrow and mouthed 'Victoire'.

"Exactly. Not my moment of glory."

There was a moment of silence and James seemed to be very interested in his empty plate. "Are you seeing someone at the moment?"

"No." Teddy shook his head. "No, I'm not."

James nodded. When he looked up his wicked grin was back in place. "So, you wanna hear about Pedro? I met him in Spain and he had a _really_ dirty mouth. In more than one aspect."

Teddy laughed. "Tell me."

***

The next morning, after a simple breakfast, Dawn came down to the campsite again to take them on a tour. They walked at a much easier pace than the day before. Dawn stopped every now and then to point out plants or birds and James pulled a battered journal from his pocket and took notes. As Dawn realised how much James knew about wildlife she became a lot more chatty and Teddy amusedly watched her and James, when they crouched down yet again to take a closer look at whatever was growing there.

Teddy didn't have much to do; his role was more about general observation, so he just enjoyed the walk and admired the scenery. He was mostly interested in seeing the flutter of a Moonpiper and kept an eye on the water, whenever they were walking alongside a river.

Dawn explained to them how to look for Moonpiper nests. "Basically it's a ball of grass, hidden in the lower branches of a tree. They prefer willows or birches. Finding a nest is the best way to collect some feathers –at least during the breeding season– because there will always be a few stuck in the grass ball or lying on the ground."

James was the first to find a nest. He gestured excitedly into a birch tree. "Is that one?"

Dawn shielded her eyes against the sun and squinted up into the tree. "Yes." She took out her wand, cast a spell and very slowly the branch that held the nest lowered until all three of them could stand around it and have a look.

Inside were two little fluffy fledglings. They were chirping and very much alive.

Teddy and James exchanged stupid grins over the nest.

"God, they are so cute," James said.

"But their beaks are already sharp, so I would advise against petting them," Dawn answered. Carefully she summoned two light blue feathers with golden sprinkles from the nest which stuck between the blades of grass. She handed them over to James.

James took them with big eyes and stroked them gingerly. "This is almost enough for the monthly portion of Wolfsbane the _Malfoy Apothecary_ brews."

"The demand for feathers could be easily covered if we had more rangers looking for them. It might be a tedious work to go looking for loose feathers but killing the birds to get a whole handful of feathers in one stroke will only create more problems in the long run." Dawn waved her wand and the branch rose up again.

James put the feathers into a small metal box and pocketed it.

They continued their walk and found another couple of nests. Some were empty, some had fledglings in them and some eggs, and they found one more feather.

In the afternoon they settled down in the same place where the picture in Teddy's Auror file had been taken. Teddy took his photo equipment out of his bag and set it up. He figured his report could use a little more visual material. Maybe he should ask Dawn if he could take a picture of one of the nests.

They still had a little time before he could hope to see one of the birds, because Moonpipers preferred to hunt for little fish in the river during the early evening. Dawn had left again for other ranger duties but promised to be back in the morning.

Teddy sat down on the riverside and cooled his feet in the clear water. There was a swarm of tiny silver fish trying to nibble at his toes; it tickled. Teddy laughed quietly and watched, fascinated at how the fish scurried away when he wiggled his toes only to be back a few seconds later. Teddy looked back over his shoulder to see what James was doing and found him sitting in the shadow of a big tree. He was chewing on a pencil and reading his note book, occasionally scribbling something on the page. Teddy walked over and sat down next to him. James' nose and ears were pink from the sun.

Teddy pulled out his wand. "Jamie."

James looked up and Teddy cast a sun protection and cooling charm on him.

"Thanks. I forgot those this morning." James smiled and rubbed over his nose. He started studying his book again. After a moment he shifted a bit and his knee came to rest against Teddy's thigh. Neither of them pulled away.

They didn't get a picture of a Moonpiper that evening, though they had seen a few blue-gold flutters, roaming over the surface of the water. But if it meant more attempts and days like today, Teddy couldn't bring himself to mind. He watched the moonlight play on James back who walked in front of him on their way back to the tent.

***

The next few days passed in a similar fashion. Dawn introduced two other rangers to them. A man called Martin with a thick grey beard and a roaring laugh, and Anna, a woman who couldn't have been older than thirty. She had long blond hair and a face that wouldn't have looked out of place on the cover of a fashion magazine. She reminded Teddy a lot of Victoire. Anna told them that she worked in the reserve as a summer job and that she liked it, but it could get lonely sometimes. She winked at Teddy when she said it. James didn't like her.

Teddy and James always accompanied one of the rangers on their daily inspection routes. They never saw anybody, but found an empty package of Bertie Bott's Every Favour Beans and the remains of an old campfire. Anna told them it was a poacher's fire because the rangers kept theirs smaller and always near a river.

Another day they found a trap, made from a wide green net that stretched between two trees over a small streak. Martin took it down and when they examined it, they found the lifeless body of a Moonpiper. Martin freed the body from the net with surprisingly gentle fingers and gave it to James.

"You take the feathers."

James pulled a face. "I'm not sure I want those."

Martin grunted. "Don't be an idiot, boy. The bird is dead, nothing can change that. Now use the feathers for something good."

"Wait," Teddy said and pulled out his camera. He took a picture of James and Martin, holding the bird and the net. "Ok, now you can . . ." He gestured to James.

"Why, thank you for your help, Mr Lupin," James said dryly and started plucking the feathers from the bird.

James' little box was almost full by now, there were quite a few of the gold-blue feathers but also samples of plants and stones that James had taken with the rangers' permission. Sometimes Teddy saw him take it out of his pocket and study the contents pensively but he didn't offer any more information, not even when Teddy asked him about it.

***

The more days passed, the more Teddy wished he could stay longer. Time seemed to move differently here. The stress and fast-paced life of his job and London seemed like a lifetime away.

And then there was James. Teddy wasn't stupid; he knew why James didn't like Anna, even though she was smart and genuinely nice. Every day he and James grew closer and Teddy felt a rising need to touch and feel and kiss. He saw James watching him too, whenever he thought Teddy wasn't looking. It was unusual for James to hide anything, or rather to be able to hide anything. He was self-confident and he had freely offered stories about his past amorous adventures all over the world. He had told Teddy more than Teddy had told James –and there was no way Teddy would go into details about his disastrous break-up with Victoire. It was odd to see James blush and look away, when the interest had been so clear on his face a moment earlier.

Teddy also didn't trust his own feelings. James had only just returned to England and how could anything serious develop in the span of a few days? They'd joked around that being in _Green Falls_ was the easiest Auror job that had been assigned in the last hundred years, which was probably true, even though Teddy had worked on his report and presentation. But he had worked on it while lying on the riverside and watching water drops drying on James tanned skin. There was really no other word for his time here than 'holiday'. And bringing a holiday romance into the "real world" outside of this valley, only to see it fall apart in a short period of time, seemed like a tremendously bad idea. Even more so because this was _James_.

Still, it didn't stop either of them from sitting a bit too close and letting hands and looks linger a moment too long, without really ever acknowledging what they were doing. Teddy tried to tell himself that there would be enough time to see how things would be when they were back in London, but another part of him dreaded their departure. James would be back at the Apothecary and Teddy had a full time job. Maybe their feelings would disappear as quickly as they had formed, maybe that would even be for the best, but Teddy was unwilling to find out.

***

It was the evening of their final day in the reserve when they finally managed to get a clear photograph of a Moonpiper. Teddy sat at the riverside and fiddled with the camera when he saw the bird flying across the surface of the water. He quickly raised the viewfinder to his eyes and took a couple of photos before the Moonpiper vanished again.

Teddy waited a couple of minutes and heard James approaching him from behind. "I saw it too. Did you get a good shot?" he whispered and laid a hand on Teddy's shoulder.

"It's better than the one we got so far but probably not fantastic," Teddy answered and leaned the tiniest bit into the touch. At that moment the bird shot from the trees again and flew directly towards them. Teddy held up the camera without having the time to bother with the viewfinder and pressed the trigger. Disturbed by the flash light the bird turned direction and vanished once again.

Teddy turned towards James and smiled. "That was our picture."

"I think you're right." James tilted his head. "Figures that bird would wait till the last possible moment."

Teddy looked around and felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Yeah. I guess we should pack our stuff and head back. Martin's cooking stew tonight."

James nodded and took his hand from Teddy's shoulder. It immediately felt cold.

They gathered the things that were scattered all over the place. It was their favourite spot; they had been coming back to it every afternoon, after they had completed their rounds with Anna, Martin or Dawn in the mornings. It felt more like home to Teddy than the campsite with their tent.

They grabbed Teddy's Auror files and James' note book, pencils, towels, James' floras and the novel Teddy was reading. He had started to read it out loud a few days ago because James had stolen it from him repeatedly and always lost Teddy's bookmark; this way they could both enjoy it –actually Teddy had enjoyed it ten times more with James' sarcastic running commentary.

Teddy let the book fall into his rucksack.

"You have to wait with reading on until I'm there too. I have to know if Ms Brown will ever find out that the secret admirer is her dark and broody neighbour."

"Shut up," Teddy said, but there was no bite in his voice. He had already gotten used to James mocking him for his taste in books.

"No, really. The suspense is killing me here."

Teddy threw a towel at James.

James laughed and pulled it from his head; his hair sticking up in every direction. After a moment he added, "You really have to wait for me until I'm in London." He was staring intently at the towel in his hands.

"You're coming to London?"

"Yeah, I mean . . . I will work there now. Did you think I would move in with my parents again?"

"I don't know. I didn't think. Do you have a place?"

"Not yet. I couldn't exactly look for a room before. And I think mum wants me stay at Godric's Hollow for a while, but now– I just think I'll be looking for a room in London now."

"It's not quite as easy as it sounds. There aren't too many places for magical people that are affordable, have a Floo and so on."

"I don't have very high standards, I'll manage," James said and sounded defensive now. "I'm not a baby."

"Yes, I know. It's just that Lily has been looking for a place for a long while too. Sometimes it takes a while."

James shrugged and placed the towel in his rucksack before he shouldered it. He took one last look around before he turned and walked towards the trail that would lead them back to their tent. Teddy followed him.

"I have a guest room," he heard himself say.

James stopped so abruptly that Teddy almost walked into him. "Really?"

Teddy nodded. "You could stay there until you find a place for yourself."

"Hmm." James pretended to think hard about it but Teddy could see the smile in his eyes. "Will you read trashy romance novels to me?"

"There are two sequels to Ms Brown and her dark and broody neighbour."

James laid a hand over his heart. "I'm not sure my heart can take it."

"It will have to."

"Yes it will." James stepped closer and for a moment it looked as if he wanted to hug Teddy. Or kiss him. But he didn't. "Thank you, Teddy."

"You're welcome," Teddy said and raised his hand to ruffle James' hair.

***

They could smell Martin's stew before they could make out the fire of the campsite in the dark. Usually the rangers didn't have dinner with them, but tonight all of them sat in front of the tent to give them a farewell celebration. Martin had organised several bottles of wine from God knows where, and judging from his pink nose he had already drunk a few glasses. Anna held her wine glass elegantly in one hand and Dawn sipped clear water.

"There you are!" Martin's voice was even louder than usual. "We thought we had to start without you!"

"What have you been up to?" Anna asked, eying them with a grin on her face. "Sit down, Teddy, and tell me." She tapping the empty seat next to her; they had taken out the couch from the living room.

James narrowed his eyes as Teddy walked over to Anna, but said nothing and sat down on one of the empty chairs next to Dawn.

"Why are you doing this?" Teddy asked quietly when Anna handed him a glass of wine.

She laughed. "He looks like a five year old and someone has stolen his favourite toy. Let me have my fun, there is very little of it around and I'll be here for another two months. Your James will have you back soon enough."

Teddy felt his cheeks heating. "He's not my James."

"Hm. Looks like you're working on that though," Anna said with a wink.

The stew was absolutely delicious. Teddy wasn't sure if Molly could have done a better one. They all refilled their plates at least once. After they finished eating everyone sipped quietly at their drinks. Teddy leaned back and looked at the stars. They seemed so much closer here than in London.

"So, Teddy. Now that you've seen everything here, what do you think about the future of _Green Falls_?" Martin asked.

Teddy felt four pairs of eyes on him. He exchanged a glance with James before he looked down at his hands. "I've put everything in my report and I will tell the committee. If they consider the Moonpiper deserving protection, they will have to give the funds too. It's just– I'm not so sure that they will. If it was about kittens or puppies . . . everyone loves those. People go crazy for them. But for an odd bird? Whose feathers are needed for _werewolves_? The cuteness factor is pretty much zero."

Dawn made a face. "This is the worst explanation I would have expected."

"But it's true. The Ministry wants something out of its investments, even if it's just good press. A nature reserve doesn't make a good front page."

"I might have an idea," James said. Teddy looked at him in surprise.

James pulled the small metal box from his pockets, together with a folded sheet of parchment that Teddy recognised as the one Mr Malfoy had given him at the Burrow. James opened the parchment. "This is a list of herbs that _Malfoy Apothecary_ currently imports from abroad because they don't grow in Britain . . . at least not outside a greenhouse, and those are mostly of lower quality." He tapped the sheet. "From the thirty-two plants on here I have found twenty-one in the reserve in a single week. If they were collected and sold they could–"

"Is this why you were asking me all these questions?" Dawn asked, her voice sharp.

"Hear me out, please. I–"

"You are selling us out."

"No! I just–"

"All this time you didn't see the valley in need of protection but your own personal all-you-can-eat buffet!" Dawn rose from her chair and stepped in front of James. With him still sitting down they were about the same height. Dawn's knuckles were white from the tight grip she had on her glass. "I know that man you're working for. He has no regard for anything. His whole family never had."

"Ok, this is enough," Martin interrupted. "Please sit down, Dawn, let the boy explain." Turning to James he said, "You better have a damn good explanation for this."

James had turned a bit pale. He looked at Teddy and Teddy wished he didn't sit on the opposite side of the fire.

"Yes. Yes, ok." James ran a hand through his hair. "What I meant was just . . . first we could use the list at the Ministry. To show that it's not just the birds that are valuable here, but the flora of the reserve too. The Ministry likes price tags, so let us show them a few. Every Potioneer can confirm the value of these plants and from there it's only a small step to the conclusion that it might be a good idea to protect one of the last areas in Britain where they still grow. Right?" He looked at the rangers.

"But the idea behind a reserve is to keep people _out_ , not to let new ones in," Anna said and Martin nodded. "It's as if you put up a big sign saying 'treasure inside' and expect people to stay away."

"I get that, but maybe you don't have to let others in," James said. "If the Ministry approves the wards that keep the poachers out, the rangers have more time for other things. You all know the territory best. You know how much you can take without doing damage. For example, if you harvested Firemoss at one spot and chose a different one in the year after that and so on, the moss would have years to re-grow. The money could be used to pay more rangers, the Ministry would be happy the reserve is financially stable and they're not that dependent on import anymore."

"I still don't like it," Dawn said.

"I think the idea is worth thinking about," Anna said. "The only thing is, it needs to be up to the rangers what and how much they sell. If there's a year with too little Firemoss, it's not going to be harvested. End of story."

Martin stroked his beard. "Can I have that list?" he asked James. James handed it over and after a quick glance at it, Martin threw it into the fire. To James he said, "I think there need to be talks about terms and conditions before we disclose the whole treasure of the valley. There are greedy people in the Ministry. And you should think about how much you tell that boss of yours. First we will see how far Teddy gets with his own report, because I would say the fledgling photos have a damn high cuteness factor. If it fails, we can still think about dipping our toes into Potions trade."

Silence fell over the group and most of them stared into the remains of the fire. James looked uncomfortable. Then Dawn turned to James and gently laid a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you. I don't doubt that you care. I just don't know if your way would be the right one."

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea. But I promise, no matter what, I'll do what I can to help."

"I know." Dawn smiled and offered her hand. "I want to part with you as friends tomorrow."

James shook it and relaxed a little. Teddy knew that from all the rangers, James had spent most time with Dawn and they shared a lot of interests. James would not have wanted to leave with that friendship destroyed.

"I think this is the perfect time to open another bottle," Anna announced and Martin agreed.

Half an hour later Anna had to vanish into the woods for a moment and James took her place on the couch next to Teddy. Teddy who felt pleasantly warm already enjoyed the feel of James' shoulder, side and thigh pressed against his. When James said something to him he turned his head just a little to the side and his hair and breath tickled Teddy's cheek.

"I have to go to bed," Martin said and groaned. "Is there enough room for all of us?" He pointed at the tent.

"There are three bedrooms," James answered.

"Then I'll take one. No-one wants to sleep next to me anyway; I snore way too much." Martin got up and walked towards the tent with unsure steps.

"First door on the right. It needs a couple of cleaning charms too. And cast a Silencing charm on your room!" Teddy called after him.

Martin just waved and disappeared behind the flap of the tent.

"What about the rest of us?" Anna asked. "Where are you sleeping, Teddy?"

"Teddy shares with me," James snapped.

"Does he? Then maybe he should remember that Silencing charm too." Anna's mischievous grin was back in place. Dawn rolled her eyes.

***

Teddy closed the bedroom door behind him, leaned against it and looked at the bed. James' bed. Which was just as big as the one Teddy had been sleeping in for the past week, but somehow it seemed a whole lot smaller, now that he had to share it with James.

James stood next to the bed and looked everywhere but Teddy. He fingered the hem of his shirt as if he wanted to take it off but then stopped the movement and ran a hand through his hair instead.

This was getting ridiculous. They had gone swimming together every single day since they'd come here. Teddy knew how James looked with shorts. Slowly Teddy approached the bed and stopped on the opposite side of where James stood. He opened his belt buckle and the sound was unnaturally loud in the room. Teddy pushed down his trousers and cast them aside; his socks followed a second later. He pulled off his jumper but decided to leave the shirt on.

Teddy could feel the intensity of James' stare at the back of his neck. He looked up and caught James' eyes. James blushed.

"Do you always sleep in all your clothes?" Teddy asked, his voice a little more scratchy than he was used to.

James shook his head. "No." He didn't move to take them off though.

"Are you starting with that now then?" Teddy began to feel insecure as the only naked – or half naked person in the room. He wished he hadn't been so forward with undressing.

"No. I just– I've never done this."

"What? The . . ."

"You know I've had sex before. Lots of it." James was rambling now. "It's the not having sex that . . . I don't know how to do it. The feelings are new –at least the intensity– and then it's _you_. I only know how to do a quick move with little feelings and this is so the opposite of– Maybe I should sleep on the couch because I really don't know if I can do this." He made a move as if to turn towards the door.

Teddy leapt on the bed and stopped James with a hand on his arm. "Don't." He looked at James' brown eyes and knew that he had already made his decision a long while ago. He knelt on the mattress in front of James. "Let me help you with that," he whispered and brought his hands to James' belt.

Their faces were only inches apart and Teddy could feel James' breath on his lips. James' eyes were wide, but they fell closed when Teddy lifted James' shirt a bit to grab the belt buckle and brushed the skin of his stomach. "Teddy . . ."

Teddy leaned forward, his lips meeting James'. James didn't move for a second before suddenly he wrapped his arms around Teddy and pressed him tightly against his chest. James returned the kiss forcefully. Apparently he had not been lying about foreign boys teaching him things, because the way he flicked his tongue along Teddy's made Teddy's knees go week and turned his brain into mush.

Teddy's hands were trapped between their bodies and he was still trying to open James' belt. "Just– let me . . ." he tried to say between kisses and finally there was a metallic sound that told him he had succeeded. Teddy stroked James' stomach and sides under the shirt, then he gripped the shirt and yanked it up. They separated long enough to get it off James before James' mouth returned; this time starting to suck on Teddy's neck.

Teddy slid his hands into James' hair, loving how the strands felt between his fingers. He brought his mouth close to James' ear and whispered, "Come on Jamie, let's get the rest of our clothes off."

James shuddered and Teddy felt the "Yes" against his skin more than he heard it.

Leaning back, James stripped out of his pants and trousers and tossed them carelessly aside. He then gave Teddy a push, so that he fell on his back on the bed. He grabbed the waistband of Teddy's pants and Teddy lifted his hips. James threw them away too, and crawled over Teddy to straddle his lap.

Teddy's eyes fixated on James' cock. It was already hard and flushed red; the tip glistening with moisture. I fit perfectly into Teddy's hand.

James rocked a little forward and now their cocks rubbed against each other and Teddy's hand. James let out a groan. At the sound, Teddy let go of James' cock and grabbed his arms instead before he turned them around. He finally removed his shirt, so that they were both completely naked now.

Teddy looked down at James; his dark hair splayed out on the white pillow, lips red from kissing and eyes a little glazed over. James lifted a hand to stroke one of Teddy's nipples. Teddy leaned down to kiss him again.

James wrapped his legs around Teddy's hips and Teddy rocked against him. The sweat on their bodies and the precome made the slide of their cocks easy.

"Fuck me," James murmured.

"Can't. No lube."

"How would you do it?"

"What?"

"How would you fuck me?"

Teddy raised his head a little from where it had been buried in James' neck. "How do you like it?"

"Hands and knees. Or on my stomach. So you can fuck me really hard. Maybe grab my hair and hold me down . . ."

"And tell you how good you feel around my cock?"

James shuddered and let out a moan. Interesting, Teddy thought.

James held out a hand and said, " _Accio_ lube."

Teddy stopped the movements of his hips. "You had lube in here the whole time?"

"Of course. I wank like a normal person. Don't tell me you're just using spit?"

"I have a lot of precome," Teddy said and watched James' mouth go a little slack and his eyes flicker downwards.

"I want to taste that."

"I thought you wanted to fuck?"

"That too . . ." James hesitated for a moment, then he tried to turn around under Teddy. "No, we're fucking first. Don't use more than two fingers."

"Wait," Teddy said and stopped James with a hand.

"What?"

"I changed my mind."

The look on James' face could only be described as outraged and would have been a lot funnier if Teddy hadn't been so turned on. "You what?"

"Changed my mind," Teddy repeated.

James watched as Teddy poured a small puddle of lube into his palm. "Why?"

"This is our first time. I want to see you."

"Ok, well if you want," James said. "But you need to move a bit if you want to reach my– oh."

Teddy reached behind himself and slid a well lubed finger into his arse.

James craned his head to watch. "This is . . . yeah. This is good too. Brilliant idea actually." He put one of his hands on Teddy's cock, encircled the hard shaft and slowly moved up and down. Teddy couldn't hold back a moan from the double sensations shooting through his body, from his cock and his arse. "You really have a lot of precome," James said and then one of his wet fingers stroked over Teddy's balls to his hole and slid into him. Teddy could feel it inside and alongside his own finger. The position didn't allow for either of them to reach his prostate, but that was probably for the best. Teddy guessed he would have come on the spot. 

"Enough," he gasped and pulled his own and James' finger away. He took James' cock in his hand, held it in position and then he started to work his way down on it. It had been a while since he'd bottomed and James wasn't exactly small.

James was lying very still, his eyes screwed shut. "Still there?" Teddy asked.

James nodded and panted. "Yeah. I'm just– God, this is going to be over in a minute."

"I hope not," Teddy said. He took James' wrists and pressed them into the pillow right next to James' head and lifted his hips before he sank down again.

It took longer than a minute but still not very long. When James came he arched his back and dug his fingernails into the soft skin of Teddy's hands. Teddy let go of James' wrist and grabbed his own cock; he felt James' hand close over his fingers on his prick and together they brought him off. Streaks of pearly white come covered James' belly. James wiped his fingers through it and tasted them.

Teddy lifted himself off; he didn't like the feeling of something in his arse after he had come. There was a trickle of come leaking from his hole. Teddy grimaced.

He lay down on his side and James turned around to look at him. Teddy lifted a hand and stroked a few damp strands from James' forehead.

James leaned in and kissed him softly. "This might have been a 'heat in the moment' kind of thing when you said it, but this was our first time, yeah? Of many?"

Teddy nodded. "We have to take it slow though. Do it right."

"Hm, this is slow?" James gestured between their sweaty and come slicked bodies. "I would call that quick. A bit too quick actually."

"We'll last longer for round two." Teddy smiled. "But I'm serious James. I want this."

James looked at him and then he scooted closer. "Yes. Me too. I wanted the moment I saw you again. But– I _am_ new with the whole relationship thing. Give me time to figure it out."

"All the time you want." Teddy turned on his back and James laid his head on Teddy's shoulder.

"In your flat," he said and Teddy could feel James quiet laughter. "In London. Together."

Teddy pressed a kiss to James' hair. "We'll manage. Good night, Jamie."

James pressed a kiss to Teddy's chest. "Good night."


End file.
